Giridhar wrote on Sat 17 Oct:
>> >Yes,Ravi, because you have the good luck, good fortune, probably I
> >should say only good karma of being a Hindu, of being a dvija, perhaps
> >being even a smArta. But what about a poor mleccha like me ? It's
>> namaste. Though I have no authority to answer your questions, may I kindly
> address them with the hope that you will listen to them and take what ever is
> relevant to you.
>> First, it is wrong to be proud that one is a brahmana or be sad that one is
> a mlechha. In fact, one who does his svadharma is far superior to one who
> does not. There _may_ have been good karma in being born as a smaarta,
> but there is also the question of how much one utilizes it.
>> Further, an attitude of a bhakta born in any tradition should be,
> 'Let me not plan anything and question the decision of the lord as to where
> and how I was born. Is not my life in His Hands? And He has planned what
> is best for me.' The only issue that lies how much effort we put into
> accepting
> the will of God. Obeying the will of God implicitly means obeying His commands
> laid down in the scriptures. I would say that if we do our best effort to
> learn and do a puja,
> recitation, japa etc. making the effort as a pleasure in serving the Lord.
> Also, when we should look upon everyone as God's creation, why this
> self-censure that one is a mlechha ? Are we not His children ?
> On the other hand, if bhakti sounds too exotic and one is already
> established with a lot
> of viveka and vairagya, the questions 'Who is born as a smaarta or
> something else ?
> Am I ever born ?' etc. leads to the final question 'Who am I' This is not
> just a question
> for which the answer can be given in words. And when one is perplexed by
> any problem in life, if we go into silence, we will glimpse at the solution
> that no problem ever exists. And
> when we learn to look upon things as Brahman, we have the true wisdom of
> the heart.
>> >Now you tell me I should not study the Upanishads (at least in a written
> >form). Thus probably is it also impossibe to read the commentaries of
>> I am not sure about this. For example, women are forbidden to read the
> upanishads also, but HH of the Sringeri math that they can and should
> translations of the shruti, just not recite the original. In fact, it has been
> advised that no one should recite the vedas without proper training and
> guidance. It is not followed today, but that is an another issue.
>> >Being a part of the MahAbhArata, I should first think tat It should go
> >under the heading of smRti, but I start to doubt here also :
> >a) because it belongs to he prastAnatraya, and, as such, has perhaps
> >been lifted up to the same level as the Sruti,
> >b) because in the text itself written down probably a very very long
> >time ago every chapter ends with the words:
> >iti SrimadbhagavadgItAsUpanishatSu...
> >which I had until now understood as being only a form of special
> >reverence, but that I should perhaps have understood more word for word.
>> Gita is definitely Smriti and can be read by all. The classification of what
> is shruti and what is smriti is marked for most texts.
>> >participate in seminars and conferences are at the expense of taxpayors,
> >and I happen to be one of them (like you, probably). When I was working,
>> As far as I know, _many_ of the Indian students who participate in this list
> are not students of philosophy but students of engineering. Therefore, they
> attend seminars for publishing scientific work and not translations or
> interpretations of advaitic works. I would say that many of these people are
> practiconers of advaita and do some kind of sadhana.
Namaste Giridhar !
Thanks a lot for your above clarifications which are quite useful for
me. I can tell you that in the bottom of my heart I feel myself a Hindu
even if this is formally cannot be so. As also, though quite unformally,
I feel myself quite linked to the Sringeri Math, the point of view of
His Holiness which you mention is quite interesting for me.
As to the students members of the list, what you say is tru and my
earlier remark can in no way apply to them. So I withdraw it and
apologize if I offended any of them.
AUM SaantiH SaantiH Saantih
Guy
bhava Sankara deSika me sharaNam
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